Tag Archives: residential mortgage loans

Thousands of mortgage lenders across the country either recently received, or will soon be receiving, this document from Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. (LBHI). It is a notice of a motion to approve a proposed settlement of Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (RMBS) claims asserted by trustees and investors against LBHI over the last few years. The notice … Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today, in Bank of America Corp. v. City of Miami, Case No. 15-1111 that cities may qualify as “aggrieved persons” under the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), thus placing them within the “zone of interests” covered by that federal statute. As such, they are permitted to sue banks for the secondary … Continue Reading

With 2016 rapidly drawing to a close, here are some thoughts regarding the types of litigation and legal/regulatory issues that will likely be top-of-mind for financial services companies, especially mortgage companies and banks, in 2017: RMBS Suits and Mortgage Repurchase or Indemnification Claims I admit it—I never would have thought, when I started working on … Continue Reading

Calling the settlement a reproach for “years of reckless underwriting” at Wells Fargo, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan announced on April 8th that Wells Fargo & Co. formally reached a record $1.2 billion settlement of a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit. A notable feature of the settlement is Wells Fargo’s specific admission that it … Continue Reading

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aggressively demanded Wall Street and big bank aggregators (“aggregators”) repurchase millions of defaulted and distressed loans, due to purported breaches of representations, warranties and covenants. In the past few years, there have been several blockbuster settlements with the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), such as Citigroup’s 2013 … Continue Reading

A recent class action lawsuit filed on behalf of thousands of homeowners in New York against Wells Fargo alleges that while the bank received $25 billion in government bailout funds it failed to make a good faith effort to help borrowers avoid foreclosure in compliance with the federal government’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). The complaint, filed … Continue Reading

Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-backed mortgage lender, filed suit on Friday, April 17 in the United States District Court in Detroit against the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In the suit, Quicken alleged that it is a target of a probe in … Continue Reading

On Sunday, May 3, 2015, I will serve as a panelist at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Legal Issues & Regulatory Compliance Conference at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers in Chicago, IL. More than 800 attorneys, compliance officers, company executives and government relations associates will convene to discuss the latest regulatory, supervisory, enforcement and litigation issues within the mortgage … Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court recently held in Jesinoski v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. that borrowers exercising their right to rescind mortgages under the Truth in Lending Act (“TILA”) only need to provide written notice to creditors within three years of the loan being issued, instead of bringing a lawsuit within that period. The high court … Continue Reading

An increasing number of banks, mortgage lenders, auto finance companies and other financial services industry participants are dealing with inquiries, investigations and actual or threatened legal claims from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other enforcement agencies related to the fairness of their lending, servicing and collection practices. Noting that growing trend, a banking … Continue Reading

Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone recently profiled the woman JPMorgan Chase paid one of the largest fines in American history to keep from talking in his article, The $9 Billion Witness: Meet JPMorgan Chase’s Worst Nightmare. Alayne Fleischmann, a former Chase manager, revealed the true reason why JPMorganChase settled the claims brought by the DOJ … Continue Reading

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases brought by Bank of America regarding whether a second mortgage on an underwater property can be voided during Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Both cases involve Florida homeowners who sued to void second mortgages when the debt owed to the holder of the first mortgage exceeded the value of … Continue Reading

According to Freddie Mac, things are looking up for the South Florida housing market. The August Multi-Indicator Market Index (MIMI) ratings, released last Friday, awarded the Miami Metro Area a score of 69.2. While Miami is still 11 points shy of an “in range” score, this latest score is 11.43% higher than last August’s score, … Continue Reading

The 2014 MBA Annual Convention & Expo will be held in Las Vegas, NV from October 19-22. My colleague Robert M. Siegel and I will be attending the conference. As many of you know, we lead the mortgage industry team here at Bilzin Sumberg. In addition to representing mortgage companies throughout the country, we often … Continue Reading

Federal bank regulatory agencies are significantly increasing their scrutiny of Wall Street bank lending, moving from annual reviews to a system of monthly audits in a major effort to curtail aggressive underwriting practices. Until recently, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) have monitored … Continue Reading

We previously posted about ACE Securities Corp. v. DB Structured Products, Inc., 977 N.Y.S.2d 229, 231 (N.Y.A.D. 1st Dept. Dec. 19, 2013), which is a critical ruling out of New York’s intermediate state appellate court. In that case, the Appellate Court held that under New York law, the statute of limitations on a mortgage buyback … Continue Reading

In what is being reported as the largest settlement ever between the U.S. and a single business entity, Attorney General Eric Holder and Associate Attorney General Tony West announced Thursday that Bank of America Corp. (“BofA”) has agreed to pay $16.65 billion to settle accusations by the Department of Justice that it, as well as … Continue Reading

Kate Berry reported in American Banker and SourceMedia’s National Mortgage News on how a $616 servicing error snowballed into a $16 million jury verdict. It was reported that a jury last month awarded $514,000 in compensatory damages and $15.7 million in punitive damages to a California homeowner, who waged a multi-year battle to block a foreclosure by the private-label … Continue Reading

SunTrust Banks (“SunTrust”) reached a settlement with Federal prosecutors last week in which it agreed to a $320 million settlement for a combination of consumer relief and housing counseling services. SunTrust issued a press release this past weekend outlining the agreement. Specifically, it has agreed to pay $179 million in consumer remediation, $20 million to … Continue Reading

As we continue to distance ourselves from the advent of the real estate downturn, residential mortgage loan lenders seem to be increasingly willing to explore ways to loan money outside of the “qualified mortgage” arena. For instance, as the author pointed out in a recent N.Y. Times article, lenders are becoming more likely to make … Continue Reading

Wells Fargo has announced that it plans to begin originating FHA-backed loans for borrowers with credit scores as low as 600. This new cut-off is 40 points below Wells Fargo’s current floor, and 20 points below what has traditionally been considered to constitute a “subprime” borrower. After the collapse of the housing market, faced with … Continue Reading

Crying Foul Wells Fargo has recently cried foul, claiming that the Department of Justice’s latest lawsuit against it in the Southern District of New York violates the terms of a settlement agreement Wells had previously reached with the federal government. And not just any settlement; Wells Fargo is referring to the infamous “Robo-signing” “deal” among … Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently announced that it is accepting applications for investors interested in buying distressed residential mortgage loans formerly insured by the FHA, focusing on mortgages in Chicago, IL, Newark, NJ, Phoenix, AZ, and Tampa, FL. The Distressed Asset Stabilization Program is an expansion of an FHA disposition program … Continue Reading

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Bilzin Sumberg is a law firm located in the heart of Miami. Unlike many of its competitors, Bilzin Sumberg is an indigenous firm, which means that we are deeply committed to and engrained in the commercial life of South Florida. Our lawyers are deeply integrated in the city’s business, legal and government sectors. Moreover, our lawyers and staff are involved in a wide spectrum of community initiatives, underscoring how the firm has become synonymous with Miami and its surrounding areas.